


The Warmth of Your Body

by MidnightMinx90



Category: Assassin's Creed
Genre: Ficlet, Fluff, M/M, Sleepy Cuddles, Wordcount: 500-1.000, cold nights
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-21
Updated: 2013-10-21
Packaged: 2017-12-30 02:20:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 720
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1012893
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MidnightMinx90/pseuds/MidnightMinx90
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As the nights grow colder, Desmond forgets to close the window in his room. But maybe there's something more to it?</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Warmth of Your Body

Shaun sighs as he looks in on Desmond on his way to his own room. It’s the fourth night in a row the other man’s forgotten to close the window in his room before falling asleep. 

It’s halfway through November and the nights are growing ever colder and there’s a bite to them now. The air is getting fresher and sharper, bringing the promise of snow with it. 

If Desmond continues to do this, he’ll soon catch a cold and Shaun just knows he’ll be downright miserable if he does. So if Shaun can’t make Desmond close it, he’ll just have to find another solution. 

So he closes the window and drags Desmond’s covers up so he won’t be as cold. And, okay, maybe his right hand lingers a bit on his shoulder, but he tells himself that it’s just to check the other man’s temperature, just so he knows if he needs to buy another blanket. 

Desmond makes a contended sound, and Shaun quickly pulls his hand away, fearing he’ll get caught. He hurries out of the room and quietly closes the door behind him, making a beeline for his own room. 

It takes Shaun some time to fall asleep, and when he does, he dreams of the warmth of another person. 

***

Several days later, Desmond’s still sleeping with his widow open, so Shaun makes sure he always stays up later than him so he can close his window, even on the nights Shaun’s so tired he doesn’t know how he’ll even make it upstairs.  
He doesn’t say so though, because he suspects Desmond knows. 

Whenever he mentions it to Desmond, the man only makes non-committal sounds, but Shaun’s tired of trying now.

***

His resolve breaks two days later though, when Desmond starts to cough a little, even though the American tries to pass it off as nothing, claiming he’s not getting a cold and that Shaun should stop worrying. 

That night Shaun enters Desmond’s room again, and it’s clear the man’s not feeling too good. From where he’s standing, Shaun can clearly see the form under the covers shake from the low temperature. He’s not surprised; the temperature hasn’t risen above zero for some days now, and the night-time temp is down to at least ten this night. 

Shaun’s drowsy after having done so much during the day and having a few drinks at the pub that night. But it’s not an excuse, Shaun tells himself as he goes into his own room to change into his PJ’s before grabbing his duvet and pillow.

Back in Desmond’s room, he closes the window and gets into bed beside him, cautiously so he won’t wake up.  
Reaching out, Shaun can feel how cold Desmond is, and it scares him that the other man let himself get this cold.  
So he does the only logical thing; he moves over so their bodies are lined up against one another, and then he covers as much of Desmond as he can with his own body and duvet. 

It still takes a while before Desmond stops shaking and starts to breath normally again, but eventually he does, meaning Shaun finally gets to fall asleep as well. 

The morning after is awkward, just as Shaun had expected it to be. He’d climbed into bed with his roommate the day before, so of course it would be.  
British as he is, Shaun refuses to talk about it and instead pretend nothing happened.

***

But Shaun doesn’t remove his things from Desmond’s room. He leaves them there, and then goes to bed at the same time as Desmond, making sure to close the window when they do. 

They don’t have a word or description for what’s going on between them, but they figure they don’t need one. Both sleep better and Desmond doesn’t freeze during the nights.

Shaun and Desmond both enjoy the warmth of the other man’s body as they sleep tangled up, especially on the cold mornings when they both get to sleep in and can just lie there, half asleep curled around the person they care the most about. 

***

After three weeks, Shaun asks Desmond why he kept sleeping with the window open.

It turns out the answer is quite simple.

“I hoped you’d join me, so I could feel the warmth of your body.”


End file.
